Hello,I recently bring my Chow Chow puppy Amy to regular puppy classes. There is one training club that provides Kennel Club (KC) Good Citizen Training classes and certificates upon completion so I thought the classes and trainers must be good based on the reputation. I have been to three classes so far and have a lot of concerns over the method they use to train dogs.

First of all, they use choke chains during training. They have not recommended me to use on my baby but they do recommend other people to do so. I know choke chains really hurt and can damage a dog mentally and to be honest, I am not happy when seeing them used in the class. We taught Amy a lot at home simply by rewards and she learns very quickly so I doubt if I really need to use choke chains on her. I am afraid soon enough I will get the recommendation and it might be hard for me not to follow.

Secondly, the trainer uses a lot of manhandling on Amy and that clearly terrified her a lot. Amy is a bit hand shy with strangers, she is alright with people generally but doesn't like people petting her. If introduced gradually, she learns to accept the strangers and they can pet her as much as they want. But in classes, the trainer just approaches her abruptly and takes the lead or collar to control her. The other day she demonstrated how to teach dogs to accept us touching the collars using Amy; she put on the glove, grabbed Amy's collar and held on to it strongly, continuously told me to practice this at home and never to let go before she lets go, otherwise she knew she won?!? Amy was very horrified, she pulled and nipped to escape, which I never saw her like that before. Until now she never has any problem with me touching her anywhere, even the collar. And I can understand why she wouldn't allow the trainer to touch her collar because she was a stranger and she didn't even let Amy get to know her a bit more, let alone grabbing the collar that harshly. The next training class, Amy was horrified and tried to escape right the time she saw the entrance door!

I dont know if the method is right, that you need to introduce some pain in training and let the dog know who is the boss by manhandling and controlling her, and I am just a bit paranoid and overprotective over my baby, or this is completely wrong and I am letting other people to damage her. But it really upsets me when seeing her like that. I am afraid this might make her feel negative over stranger's touching and make petting matter worse. If anyone has any knowledge over this, please give me some advice on what to do, I really appreciate it.

Don't let anyone take your dog and use them as an example. I had the same problem when I first started training and it was hard for me to speak up but people do not understand chows. They should always be trained with positive methods, no manhandling. There should be no pain in training it should be fun for your dog. If it was me I would be looking for a different trainer before she ruins your dog. Here is a link to a great website http://www.peaceablepaws.com/ Information on training and what to look for in a trainer.

Immediately leave that class !!! Chows are terrified from being manhandled by strangers.Positive re-enforcement and discipline coming from the person(s) they respect and trust is the key to a socialized Chow.I completely abanndoned any obedience training methods with my Chows. They're simply too intelligent to get a kick out sitting and staying without reason. They're also not that food driven as most other breeds. It has to be their favorite treat and it has to be better than the situation they're currently exploring for them to be a real reward.Just leave this so called training class and do what you feel is right and use all the good tips you can find here to educate your baby.From what I read your approach is absolutely right. Just set firm boundaries at home and practise NILIF (nothing in life is free) with Amy. She has to behave in order to get a treat, she needs to sit and be calm to get her food.she needs to let you brush her before she gets to walk, etc. She needs boundaries, stimulance in from of intelligent play and affection.Every Chow deserves to be treated with respect. Choking and manhandling is wrong with every dog, but it is disastrous with Chows.

If you find the right type of obedience classes it can be fun for your dog plus a great way to socialize. I have had chows 30 years and have always taken them for training. They enjoyed it and I found it helped make an even stronger bond between us. There have been many situations when being able to tell my dog to heel or sit has been really helpful too.

I have my two chows going through obedience to get the CGC. Lots of trainers can test you. My group is positive training only and doesn't touch your dog, but uses their dog to model. You just need to find one.